Grant for Goodwill focuses on mentors for students

Making the transition from high school to college or the working world is a daunting thought for some, but a new mentorship program coming to West Michigan may help ease the stress.

Goodwill Industries of West Michigan will receive $299,723 in grant money from the U.S. Department of Justice to fund a program called Goodwill GoodGuides in the area.

TO HELP

• If you are interested in becoming a volunteer mentor or know of a youth who would benefit from the Goodwill GoodGuides program, contact Kelly Adler at (231) 722-7871, ext. 307 or e-mail her at kadler@goodwillwm.org

The program will pair students with a mentor for about six hours each month to work on career-focused activities and a job readiness and training program.

Those who participate will build a career plan and prepare for school completion, post-secondary training and employment.

“Today’s youth face special personal struggles and those are really compounded by the social pressures that are out there daily,” said Kelly Adler, who was recently hired as the Goodwill GoodGuides program director in West Michigan. “We want to look at what the interests are of our youth, what is it that they want to do and what is it going to take for them to get to where they want to be.”

The grant money is part of a $19.1 million bundle dispersed to 56 independent Goodwill agencies around the country and earmarked for the program, local officials say.

Adler said she expects up to 100 students will be able to participate over the next 18 months. The program is slated to get underway in early January.

As someone who at one point in life was both a mentor and a “mentee”, Adler says she knows the advantages of having one-on-one attention while growing up. Often, she said, those relationships last years into the future.

“It’s just having a positive role model to be in contact with on a general basis,” she said. “One of the most valuable gifts that we can give is our time.”

The grant money will last for two years, but beyond that, Goodwill Industries of West Michigan hopes to raise enough money to continue running the program independently.

Adler is currently seeking business partners who may be able to offer financial assistance or service learning opportunities for student participants.

Business partners may help train students with real-life interviewing techniques, provide the resources for a meal at a GoodGuides event, or offer job-site training opportunities.